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The differences between internal auditors and lead auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead auditor has an average salary of $85,352, which is higher than the $63,013 average annual salary of an internal auditor.
The top three skills for an internal auditor include CPA, risk management and SOX. The most important skills for a lead auditor are ISO, medicare, and management system.
| Internal Auditor | Lead Auditor | |
| Yearly salary | $63,013 | $85,352 |
| Hourly rate | $30.29 | $41.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 25,571 | 20,504 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An internal auditor is an individual who takes responsibility for crucial accounting functions in an organization. Internal auditors have trusted consultants who advise upper management on how to handle corporate goals and risks. They review the business operations and processes of organizations. They have to assess the efficacy of the company's risk management procedures. They are expected to have superb communication skills, IT knowledge, and math aptitude. Also, they help protect the organization from potential theft and fraud of its assets.
Lead auditors are professionals who are responsible for providing leadership and coordinating work schedules to a team of audit experts within an organization. These lead auditors are required to prepare audit plans and conduct team meetings before conducting internal or external audits at the end of the quarter or year. They must conduct audits to provide reviews to the management about the effectiveness of the overall quality system. Lead auditors must also develop action plans to improve the financial reporting systems of the organization.
Internal auditors and lead auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Internal Auditor | Lead Auditor | |
| Average salary | $63,013 | $85,352 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $86,000 | Between $62,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Professional |
There are a few differences between an internal auditor and a lead auditor in terms of educational background:
| Internal Auditor | Lead Auditor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between internal auditors' and lead auditors' demographics:
| Internal Auditor | Lead Auditor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.9% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |